College students ditch Spring Break to install solar panels for low-income families

College students love spring break. The fun and sun of Cancun, the long nights of partying in Florida, it’s almost a right of passage for millions of twenty-somethings.

For one group of college students, spring break was about something different — giving back to their community.

Over 100 students from 15 different universities participated in the “Solar Spring Break” program through the nonprofit GRID Alternatives. The program offers free solar arrays for low-income families, while providing work experience to student volunteers.

“Instead of going to party somewhere, they’re spending their spring break out here,” said Paul Cleary, executive director for the organization.

The program was a “deeply eye opening, mind opening and heart opening,” according to Jasmine Tan, an undergraduate at Duke University.

“I felt so much more connected, not only to the solar and sustainability industry, but also to a whole new community and network.”

Check out the full story below: